At the World Bird Sanctuary near St. Louis, injured birds of prey are rehabilitated at the onsite raptor hospital. Some are released back into the wild, and many that can’t survive on their own stay at the sanctuary for life. Unfortunately, some birds that come into the hospital are too sick to survive - and staff say avian influenza means they’re seeing more of those cases.
Kira Klebe is the director of rehabilitation for World Bird Sanctuary. She’s worked at the sanctuary since 2018, and said many things have changed because of H5 avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu. Studies show that H5 avian influenza is highly fatal to raptors.
“Nationwide for raptor species, there have really only been a handful of survivors at facilities anywhere, which is really sad to see,” Klebe said.
An outbreak of H5 avian influenza was confirmed by United States health agencies in mid-2024. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the public health risk is currently low - but states are still monitoring the progression.
The Missouri Department of Conservation says bird flu doesn’t present an immediate health concern. Deborah Hudman is the wildlife health program supervisor with MDC. She said avian flu cases in waterfowl have dropped off significantly since the holiday season, but rates have been rising in raptor species - particularly cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, or HPAI.
“Initially, it was primarily the geese and ducks and other waterfowl species. And now we're seeing some of the raptors, right? So they're predating on the carcasses, and so we're detecting some of that [HPAI in raptors],” Hudman said.
Avian influenza causes severe neurological symptoms and can be extremely painful for the sick bird. Klebe said that infected birds show signs including dilated pupils, low awareness of surroundings, twitching and wheezing.
Because avian influenza is so deadly and transmissible, it is common practice to euthanize any bird that has avian influenza. Klebe said the sanctuary’s protocol is to euthanize any avian influenza patients that come into the hospital.
“We are currently electing humane euthanasia for all avian influenza patients, because pretty much all of them do just die between 24 and 72 hours,” Klebe said. “There is no treatment. There's nothing that can alleviate the symptoms. So all we can really do is give them the gift of a painless death.”
In order to prevent avian influenza from spreading amongst birds who come into the World Bird Sanctuary, Klebe said staff has implemented a wide variety of protocols. When avian flu cases were first reported in the U.S. in 2022, Klebe said the sanctuary began quarantining birds suspected of having avian flu in a makeshift quarantine space.
Biosecurity essential for protecting domestic birds
Agricultural officials across the state are also urging people who keep domestic poultry to practice proper biosecurity measures to protect their flocks. HPAI has impacted flocks in at least 29 Missouri counties since 2022 and led to millions of birds being euthanized - especially commercial poultry flocks.
Tatijana Fisher is a state poultry extension specialist with Lincoln University, and said now is the time to take extra precautions in order to keep flocks safe.
“Preventing visitors to your flock, keeping your flock away from other poultry and also away from wild birds as much as possible,” Fisher said.
She said that means now is not the best time to add new birds to a flock - especially adult birds. This is only one of many biosecurity measures Fisher and others say people can take, including changing shoes and clothes after interacting with birds and keeping an eye on flock health.
The Missouri Department of Conservation has cancelled all poultry and waterfowl swap meets, auctions and shows in impacted counties, and Fisher said she strongly recommends against buying birds from any auction, show or swap meet at this time as they could bring bird flu with them.
Though the flocks impacted in Missouri have primarily been commercial, Fisher said backyard flocks are also at risk - especially because wild birds can leave infected droppings in open areas where backyard poultry may run.
“This is a time where keeping them under some kind of a cover, even if it's not fully enclosed, but just have a covered run where the wild birds' droppings aren't coming down into an area where your birds can interact with them,” Fisher said.
Fisher said avian flu spreads rapidly among flocks, and once one bird gets it - every bird must be euthanized to prevent the virus from spreading out of control. Fisher says this is precisely why biosecurity is so important.
Guidance from the US Department of Agriculture and the Missouri Department of Agriculture encourages people with poultry flocks to closely monitor the flock for symptoms of avian flu, which can include sudden death. Fisher said if large numbers of birds die within a flock, it’s important to notify a veterinarian or agricultural agency who can test for the virus.
“The first step is, if you really suspect bird flu, you can call your veterinarian, local extension office or Department of Ag - and both the Missouri Department of Ag and the federal USDA, they will have hotlines to deal with animal health issues,” Fisher said.
Experts say to take caution around wild birds
At MDC, Hudman said there are a range of precautions the public can take to mitigate the risk of contracting or spreading bird flu - especially for those who interact frequently with wild birds, including hunters. Missouri’s falconry hunting season opened February 11 for ducks, coots and mergansers. Light goose season began on February 7.
Hudman said that because the virus is more prominent in waterfowl, hunters should be taking precautions. The virus can be spread through contact with dead birds, so Hudman said avoiding skin-to-skin contact with dead birds and making sure carcasses are cleaned up is the best way to prevent the virus from spreading.
“They should be dressing game birds in the field whenever possible, or at a location away from - if they have a backyard flock or any other birds,” Hudman said. “It's best if they could just do it in the field. They should also dispose of the harvest waste by placing the remains in trash bags and disposing them through trash collection or permitted landfill.”
Hudman said hunters should report any large waterfowl die-offs to MDC and practice good hygiene habits to prevent carrying the virus from site-to-site.
“They could transport the virus on their waders or equipment or boats, especially if it's not dry before moving it from one site to another. So we're asking them to let things dry before they go to another wetland area, just to reduce that chance,” Hudman said.
So far in Missouri, there has only been one recorded case of bird flu in a human - that case was the first recorded case of a human contracting bird flu with no known animal exposure. Though health agencies are currently monitoring how the virus adapts, it’s not yet known to be transmissible between humans.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Missouri Department of Conservation both say bird flu poses a low risk to the public, but DHSS and other state officials say it’s important for those who have contact with birds to monitor their risk. Because of this, Hudman said hunters and anyone who handles birds should pay attention to their health and contact a doctor if experiencing any flu-like symptoms.
“We do ask that, if they handle these birds, to pay attention to their health for 10 days after contact with a sick or dead bird. If they display any symptoms during that time. And symptoms could be fever, chills, cough, sore throat, runny, stuffy nose, difficulty breathing," Hudman said. "They should seek out medical attention and mention to their health care provider that they've been in contact with waterfowl."
Because bird flu has been detected in dairy cattle and other mammals, Fisher said it’s also important to take precautions when keeping birds around other animals - especially dairy cattle. She said there is a long list of animals that share diseases and shouldn’t be kept together, such as chickens and pigs. Because of bird flu, Fisher said that list is growing.
“We used to not really be worried at all about keeping cattle with chickens,” Fisher said. “We're basically adding dairy cattle to a list of animals that we really shouldn't keep chickens with and the biggest thing when we say don’t keep them with each other is that you don't want them sharing a water source. You don't want your dairy cattle and chickens spending a lot of time together where they're interacting with each other.”
Fisher said cats have also tested positive for the virus, and recommends keeping pets away from flocks as much as possible.
Because raptors contract avian flu by eating infected prey, wildlife rehabilitators and state health officials alike have said members of the public should contact state agencies to report any dead birds they might see.
Agencies also recommend regularly cleaning bird feeders and bird baths and picking up spilled seed to discourage large groups of birds from congregating. Hudman said it’s also important to keep other animals safe, including pets, by keeping areas where pets may roam clear of dead birds.
“You don't want your any pets to be feasting on any of these dead birds, because they can contract it,” Hudman said.
Hudman said to avoid touching dead birds directly by wearing gloves or other protective equipment to handle them.
“So put on some gloves, double bag it, and when we say double bag, you can put that bird at the bottom of bag and twist it, and then fold that bag back around itself - just again to prevent any kind of scavengers from getting to it - and then just put it in your normal trash. Certainly try not to handle it bare handed,” Hudman said.
What’s next for bird flu in Missouri?
Fisher says this outbreak of Avian flu is unprecedented - and many experts say bird flu might be here to stay. Because of this, Fisher said the agriculture industry is trying to find ways to adapt and manage bird flu as it continues to progress.
Though a bird flu vaccine exists for chickens, Fisher said it’s not fully approved in the U.S. due to lower effectiveness, decreased ability for virus testing, and restrictions on selling meat products from birds vaccinated against bird flu. However, she said this current outbreak is causing the industry to rethink - and on Feb. 14, the U.S. issued a conditional license for an avian flu vaccine manufactured by Zoetis.
“Some countries won't allow you to - they will not import vaccinated birds or they won't import meat from birds that have been vaccinated from bird flu. So it changes the whole landscape, potentially, if we do start vaccinating,” Fisher said. “But there's discussion about doing it, because at this point, this outbreak has gone on for three years and no previous outbreak has gone on that long. Usually they fizzle in the summer or in the winter, and, you know, it's gone for years.”
For now, Fisher said bird flu hasn’t had significant supply-chain impacts aside from egg pricing and availability, and there isn’t a concern about the safety of the food supply. In general, she said the only food products that carry a risk of containing the bird flu virus are raw poultry or meat products, such as raw eggs or milk. Fisher and other experts recommend avoiding raw dairy and poultry products, and advise against feeding raw foods to pets.
